Working to improve Abbey View and Munden View

Why is the CCTV being installed?
During the week commencing 9 June, there were two incidents where projectiles were thrown from height into the construction work area in the main car park between Abbey View and Munden View, posing a serious risk of injury to the workers below. Similar incidents have also occurred previously.

Watford Community Housing takes these incidents extremely seriously and we are committed to ensuring there is a safe working environment for our contractors at all times.

In response to these incidents, we will be introducing CCTV as a safety measure for the duration of the works, with the intention of deterring this dangerous behaviour and to allow for evidence to be collected in the event of a further incident.

Taking action
The two incidents noted above have been logged with the police and are being investigated. Any further incidents would be considered a breach of tenancy – using the CCTV we would seek to identify and take action against anyone responsible for endangering the lives of others by such actions.

What will the CCTV record?
The CCTV system will consist of four fixed-position cameras facing the areas of active construction only – no public spaces or residential flats will be recorded. If any part of a camera’s view includes a window, balcony, or area outside the work zone, that part of the image will be masked (blacked out) to ensure privacy. The system will not be used for live monitoring of residents or the general public.

How will the footage be handled?
Recordings will be stored securely on the CCTV unit for up to 10 days. If an incident occurs, the relevant footage will be extracted and stored securely for up to 30 days. Footage will only be accessed by authorised personnel for lawful purposes, such as investigating health and safety incidents or criminal activity. At the end of the project, all data will be securely deleted.

Who is responsible for the footage?
Black Diamond Security (BDS), the security contractor installing the cameras, will act as the Data Controller for the CCTV footage. This means that they will manage any footage requests and ensure the cameras remain compliant with data protection laws. Watford Community Housing support this arrangement and will monitor its effectiveness.

Your rights
As a resident, you have rights under data protection law. These include the right to request access to any personal data captured (if applicable), and to raise concerns about how your data is being handled.

If you have questions, or wish to exercise any of your rights, you can contact:

• Black Diamond Security’s Data Protection Lead: 0800 804 8112 (option 2)

Or

• Watford Community Housing’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@wcht.org.uk

Thank you for your co-operation and understanding as we take these steps to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the project.

Abbey View, Munden View and the low-rise blocks currently get heating and hot water from a communal gas heating system that is 12 years old and showing signs of reaching the end of its service life.

Continuing with a like-for-like gas replacement would not be sustainable, especially as the government has committed to phasing out systems that use fossil fuels. If we were to fit another gas system now, it is likely we would have to replace it again within just a few years.

By upgrading the system now, we were able to secure government funding to support the installation of ground source heat pumps, which provide a highly efficient and reliable source of renewable energy.

Kensa are currently drilling boreholes, which will allow the ground source heat pumps to extract heat from the ground. The energy from these boreholes will feed a small Kensa heat pump unit in your home which, alongside a Sunamp heat battery, will provide all of your heating and hot water, all year round. Each heat pump produces up to three times the energy it consumes to run, making it around 300% efficient and much more sustainable than traditional gas heating systems, which are around 90% efficient. You will be able to control your heating and you will only pay for what you use.

When the system is installed in your home, we will give you full guidance on how to control your heating and get the best out of the new heat pump.

Click here to see how Kensa Shoebox heat pumps have improved the energy efficiency of similar high-rise buildings in Thurrock.

Yes, ground source heat pumps are well-suited to the UK climate. While air temperatures can vary widely, the ground below the surface stays at a relatively stable temperature all year-round, making it an ideal and efficient source of heat - even during winter.

Yes, ground source heat pumps produce consistent and comfortable heating throughout the year.

No, they are very quiet - much quieter than traditional gas boilers. You may have heard about noise concerns relating to air source heat pumps, which work differently.

Yes, ground source heat pump systems are considered to be much safer than traditional gas boiler systems, as they do not use flammable fuels or combustion. Using a non-flammable refrigerant, heat pumps avoid the risks and maintenance requirements of fossil fuel systems.

Residents of Coldharbour House, Foxtree House, Maple Court and Peartree Court will be the first to have the new system installed. We will contact residents directly with more information.

At Abbey View and Munden View, we are carrying out a wider package of works to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings. The final stage of the heating system installation has to be co-ordinated with these additional works. This means that the new heating system will come into use for residents of Abbey View and Munden View as part of this second phase of works.

The timing of this phase will depend on when we get approval from the Building Safety Regulator. There is more information on this below.

We have applied to the Building Safety Regulator for Gateway 2, which is the design and planning stage for major improvement works. This means that we have asked permission to do further works to improve the energy efficiency of the whole building, including:

• new windows
• external and internal wall insulation
• roof upgrades
• improved ventilation systems
• fire safety enhancements

These upgrades are designed to improve the comfort, warmth, and safety of your home, reduce energy usage and meet future environmental standards.

At present, the Building Safety Regulator has a backlog of Gateway 2 submissions for high-rise residential projects, so applicants across the country are experiencing delays.

Because of this, we do not expect to hear back from the Building Safety Regulator until at least October 2025. We will provide more information as soon as we can.

The temporary car park in the field adjacent to Abbey View and Munden View is now available for all residents to use.

The main car park is closed until further notice to allow Kensa to complete the final stage of drilling works for the ground source heat pumps.

The field, which is also being used temporarily as a site compound, is owned by Hertfordshire County Council. This arrangement is solely for the duration of the improvement works.

Once the project is complete, the field will be reinstated to its original condition

Works began in late summer 2024. We don't have confirmed timescales for the individual work packages yet, but we will continue to update residents on progress and expected timescales for different elements throughout the works.

The installation will take four days. The first day will be the core drilling. Then it will take one whole day, from 8am to 5pm, to install the pipework, ‘Shoebox’ unit and radiators. It is possible that they may need to be in your home beyond 5pm, depending on the results of your pre-condition survey. The third day will be for snagging and commissioning, and the final day for fire stopping.

Kensa may need to make up to four appointments with you. This will include carrying out surveys around design plans, as well as installation. The Resident Liaison Officer will firstly attend to conduct a pre-condition survey. Appointments will be made to suit you, as well as the requirements of the project.

If you are not going to be available at the time of the installation, they have a key safe process so they can arrange to carry out the works in your absence.

We are pleased to have secured government funding to help finance these works. This government funding has come from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund as well as other funding schemes.

If you rent your home, there will be no additional cost to you. If you are a leaseholder, we will contact you to advise you of any costs in advance. 

We appreciate that these works will cause some unavoidable disruption to residents, because of the scale of the work being carried out. However, we will do all we can to keep noise and disruption to a minimum.

We will be putting up acoustic barriers, a temporary sound-proofing material, around the site and on the scaffolding to alleviate noise disturbance.

All our contractors will be asked to park considerately – if you have any concerns, please contact us.

As there will be an increased amount of contractors working at the bottom of the buildings, please be mindful of leaving loose objects on the edge of your balcony.

Building sites can be dangerous places for children and people who have not got the appropriate protective clothing and training. We make every effort to secure spaces and ensure that there are warnings in areas where children shouldn't play. Please make sure that you supervise children in your care when near the site. 

Throughout these works, we are keeping residents informed through text messages and emails. Please look out for these messages, as they include important updates on the project and how the works might affect you.

If you have not been receiving these updates, please contact us to make sure we have the correct details for you.

We have been sending residents of Abbey View and Munden View, and the low-rise blocks, newsletters with all the latest updates on the improvement works. You can see the latest newsletter at the top of this page.

To give residents a good understanding of how the new heating and ventilation systems will work in the high-rises, we are setting up demonstration systems in an empty apartment in Munden View.

Soon you will be able to visit the demonstration apartment to see exactly how the systems work and how they will look when we install them in your home. You will be able to book an appointment to visit the apartment, where a member of staff will be on hand to answer questions.

We will also be filming a walkthrough video of the show room for those unable to visit – we will let you know when this is available.

Please also keep an eye on this page - we will keep it updated with all the latest information throughout the programme of works. 

Throughout February 2024, our contractor Focus Group installed 94 360-degree CCTV cameras on each floor of Abbey View and Munden View in order to make the blocks safer and more secure. 

They are covering the bin chutes, the fire doors leading to the central lift corridor, the lifts, and the car park barriers. The footage will only be looked at when an incident has been reported, such as anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, shopping trolley dumping, and to ensure proper use of the bin chutes. We will then work with Watford Borough Council to fine or prosecute the perpetrators who are fly-tipping, as per our Estates Services Policy.  

Our contractors are doing their best to manage the site and safety of our residents. In the event of any anti-social behaviour taking place on site, will we make use of the CCTV, if necessary.

For queries about the ground source heat pump works, contact Rachel Rose, Resident Liaison Officer at Kensa, at rachel.rose@kensa.co.uk or 07930 109 951.

You can also contact your Housing Officer, Sinead Collins, at sinead.collins@wcht.org.uk with any general queries or concerns about your block.

Or you can contact Geoff Saunders, Sustainability Project Manager, at geoff.saunders@wcht.org.uk for any questions about the improvement works. 

Emergency lighting is in place to ensure access ways are lit in the event of a loss of power in your building. The lights are tested monthly and are serviced annually.

A dry riser helps the fire service to get water up to your floor quickly in an emergency. Dry risers are checked and maintained every six months.

Your flat contains a sprinkler system which will be tested monthly. No access is needed for this test. It will also have an overall service annually. The system will activate in two stages. When a temperature of 57°C is detected the cover plate will remove itself and, if the temperature increases further to 65°C, the system will activate. 

This is the red box stored on the ground floor of your building and contains information to assist Herts Fire and Rescue Service should they need to attend in an emergency.

Fire doors are in place at the entrance to your property and in communal areas throughout the building. Each door provides 30 minutes of protection against fire and smoke whilst closed. The doors have an automatic closer installed which should not be tampered with.

Your building has been designed so that each flat is its own fire resistant 'compartment', which delays the spread of fire throughout the building. Compartmentation in communal areas is inspected annually.

Vents are located in the stairwell of each block and help to clear smoke in the event of an emergency.